Welcome to day 3 of the cardio circuit for the SELF New Year’s Challenge! Hopefully you aren’t too sore yet. If you are, don’t worry—it’s completely normal to experience some delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) when you strength train, and a little bit of movement can actually help ease those symptoms. Plus, we’ll be working different muscles today, so you won’t continue to tax your achy ones.
For this routine we’re going to step away from strength for a moment and instead really focus on revving up your heart rate—which is part of our overall mission to improve your cardiorespiratory fitness by building cardio endurance. So expect to feel a little breathless as you make your way through these moves.
You’ll get there with a bodyweight circuit that includes cardio exercises and core moves. And while this workout is intense, it’s over quick!
Today’s cardio circuit takes its cues from HIIT, or high-intensity interval training: You’ll alternate between periods of a high-intensity effort and short periods of rest. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that means your target heart rate should be between 77 and 93% of your maximum heart rate. (To get a general estimate of your max heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Keep in mind this is only an estimate, and your number may be lower depending on a variety of factors.) Once you know your number, you can track it with any number of smart gadgets, like the fitness trackers currently on the market. If you are a little less into the whole digital thing, you can use the rate of perceived exertion scale, or RPE, which is essentially how hard you feel like you are working at any given time. For the purposes of a HIIT workout, you’ll want to be between a 7–9 on a scale of 1–10, with 10 being an all-out effort. At this level, you shouldn’t be able to manage to speak more than a word or two at a time. (In other words, if you are working out and can carry on a full conversation, you may not be working hard enough.)
For the bonus 60-second burnout, we’ll end with skaters to give you one last hit on some intense cardio work!
Keep scrolling to get the details on how to do today’s cardio and core crusher.
The workout below is for day 3 of the SELF New Year’s Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here.
WORKOUT DIRECTIONS
Complete each exercise for the chosen work/rest interval:
I = 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
II = 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest
III = 50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest
Rest 60 seconds between rounds. Complete 3–5 rounds.
EXERCISES
- Modified Jumping Jack
- Inchworm
- Mountain Climber
- Bicycle Crunch
BONUS MOVE
After your last circuit, try the bonus move for 60 seconds.
- Skater
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Katie Thompson1 Modified Jumping Jacks
- Stand with your feet together, core engaged, and hands at your sides. This is starting position.
- Step your right foot wide to the right and bring your arms up to clap your hands overhead. Leave your left foot in place.
- Step your right foot back to center and bring your arms to your sides to return to starting position.
- Now, step your left foot wide to the left and bring your arms up to clap your hands overhead. Leave your right foot in place.
- Step your left foot back to center and bring your arms to your sides to return to starting position. This is one rep.
- Continue in this way, moving as quickly as you can.
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Katie Thompson2 Inchworm
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
- Bend at your waist and place your hands on the floor.
- Walk your hands forward to come into a high plank with your hands flat, wrists stacked under your shoulders, and your core, quads, and butt engaged. Pause for a second.
- Walk your hands back to your feet and stand to return to start. That’s one rep.
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Katie Thompson3 Mountain Climber
- Start in a high plank, with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked above your wrists, legs extended, and core engaged. This is the starting position.
- Keeping your core tight, draw your right knee to your chest.
- Return to the starting position and immediately draw your left knee to your chest.
- Return your left leg to the starting position. That’s one rep.
- Continue to alternate. The quicker you move your legs, the more of a cardio challenge this will become.
- Make sure to keep your core engaged and back flat throughout. If you have to slow down to maintain form, that’s fine.
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Katie Thompson4 Bicycle Crunch
- Lie faceup with your legs in a tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips). Place your hands behind your head, elbows bent and pointing out to the sides. Use your abs to curl your shoulders off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee, while simultaneously straightening your right leg.
- Then, twist to bring your left elbow to your right knee, simultaneously straightening your left leg. This is one rep. Continue to alternate as fast as is safely possible while maintaining your form.
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Katie Thompson5 Skater
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right leg and jump to the right. Let your left leg straighten and follow.
- As you land on your right foot, swing your left foot behind you and tap your left foot to the floor while touching the floor with your left hand.
- Swing your left leg to the left and jump, landing lightly on your left foot and allowing your right foot to swing behind you and lightly tap the floor. Tap the floor with your right hand. This is one rep.
- Continue to skate from side to side.
Styling, Rika Watanabe. Hair, Avery Golson at See Management. Makeup, Ayaka Nihei. On Francine Delgado-Lugo (GIFs 1 and 4): Sports Bra and Leggings; Beach Riot. Sneakers; Norbull. On Gail Barranda Rivas (GIF 2): Sports Bra; Fabletics. Leggings; Bandier. Sneakers; Puma. On Lanoa Curry (GIF 3): Sports Bra and Leggings; Fabletics. Sneakers; Stella McCartney. On Heather Boddy (GIF 5): Sports Bra and Leggings; Bandier. Sneakers; APL.
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